Chapter 1

Nicolas laid on his bed with one arm over his face. He has been laying there for over an hour now. His alarm blared, making him sigh before turning it off and getting up. An eight pack with plenty of other muscles cording his body made him a sight that girls loved. Not to mention his hazel eyes that always seemed to change colors with his mood, as if it couldn't make up what mix of colors it wanted to be. Neatly clipped golden blond hair and pouty lips completed his looks.

His looks were both good and bad. Good because it caused the kids at Hampshire High to want to listen to him. Bad because those same girls were tempted to be bad just to be sent to the principal's office to have 'alone time' with him.

None of that mattered right this second though. He was now dressed and ready to go and meet the rest of the gang. All this time, and the very thing that had awoken him and kept him up, was very much still nagging him. Try as he might, he couldn't shake it so far.

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Leon entered the kitchen, and froze. Standing there, all looking ready for battle in their stern poses and narrowed eyes, were Jackson, Carleton and Stanley. Their opponent mockingly awaited their first move. Staring straight back at them with a clock reading, six oh five.

Leon watched as Carl, the 'kid' of their group, raised a pan and started towards the stove with determination. Carl had bouncy curls of white hair and a leaner build than the rest of them. He was the youngest, his green eyes always sparkling. He was a counselor/therapist that often helps at shelters in his free time.

Jack then grabbed the bacon and eggs from the fridge, all the time not taking his glare from the stove. He had short, light red hair and icy blue eyes, with the warrior build that they all had. He was a police officer.

Leon snickered as his twin, Stan, took down some utensils, also not taking his eyes off the stove. They both had light brown hair and gray eyes, though Leon had short hair and Stan had let his grow out, showing the natural waves in it. Stan ran the first community center/boys and girls' club in town while Leon was Jack's partner in the police force. All of their clan held high respect from the town's people.

Leon backed away, deciding not to bear witness to the disaster and have to get a lecture from Ian. He walked into the dining room and arched a brow at his brethren. "Hello Nic. Didn't get much sleep?" Leon asked as he sipped some juice and eyes Nicolas.

Nic had his head slumped over the table. He lazily rolled his head to face Leon, then smirked. "Nope, not really. Give me that!" he replied, then stole Leon's drink and downed it while Leon was left in shock for a second. After that, he glared at Nic before smacking the back of his head. Nicolas just rolled his eyes and was going to say something, but was interrupted.

"Why does it smell like something's burning?" Ethan asked as he enters the room. He was wearing a purple, ruffled shirt and leather pants. He had strawberry blond flowing curls that looked like ribbons falling to his shoulders, and green eyes, being built about the same as Carl. He was a social worker and stylist 'on the side' as he likes to call it. All the guys knew differently as Ethan had the habit of suggesting 'better' styles to people in his honestly blunt way. Compulsively.

Leon shifted in his seat a bit before answering. "The three stooges are attempting to cook." He muttered, getting a gasp from Ethan.

"And you haven't told Ian yet?!" Ethan all but screeched, making them wince. Leon just shrugged his shoulders, making Ethan 'Humph!' and place his hands on his hips while fixing them with a glare. He would have spoken, but Michael came in then and whacked him on the back of the head, turning that glare unto him. "Michael! Just because your ass looks fabulous in those jeans, doesn't mean that I won't beat it!" he snapped at the spiky haired brunette, who winked at him before replying. "Naw, the rest of me is too handsome for you to bring yourself to."

Ethan gave him a dry look as he was leaving. "Oh, be still my beating heart." He replied, getting a chuckle from Michael.

"I knew you loved me!" Michael called out, smiling.

Ethan threw his hands up in the air before tossing himself in a chair. "That asshole." He muttered, then yelled at Michael, "Oh go be a vet!" Ethan then mumbled some more as Leon and Nick both watch with amusement.

Michael may not be gay, but he was a shameless flirt.

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Rankin and Diarmad were talking in hushed voices as Ian left his room. Rankin and Diarmad were the redheaded pair of twins. Diarmad had his hair cut military style whereas Rankin had his longer, the straight hair stuck out carelessly around his head. Both had blue eyes and were fire fighters. They walked up to Ian, talking to him about random stuff.

Ian had auburn hair that was always neatly styled and gray-green eyes that always seemed soul searching. "Guys, I know that you have concerns about the chimneys, but I'm sure we can get it all fixed before winter. Now, I need to go and get started on breakfast." Ian mumbled as he drug his hand through his hair, fixed a few strands, and started to go towards the kitchen.

Rankin and Diarmad both shared a look, then caught up with him, grabbed his arm and twirled him around. "Ian, what about tonight? How about we all go out?" Rankin asked, looking antsy.

Ian raised a brow at them, after studying them for a moment. "I guess we would need to talk to everyone else about it then." He then started to turn around, but is pulled back once more.

"What do you think about the fact that we haven't had any disturbances from the Darks here lately?" Diarmad questioned him with his arms folded and his muscles bulging, easily showing that he was the strongest physically.

"I suggest we keep our guards up and see what happens. If they have finally decided to behave, I'm not wanting to stir trouble." That was when Ian took in a breath and turned, but froze. He sniffed at the air a bit more, then turned back to the twins with narrowed eyes. The pair were already gone, making him growl under his breath. He stomped his way down the stairs, finding that all but three were seated at the table. Though none would dare meet his accusing gaze. A BANG! Made him curse, then storm off to the kitchen.

Walking in, he quickly opened a window. He swore he was dealing with a bunch of kids rather than grown men! The three quickly grabbed the food and ran to the table, setting it down and taking their seats. Ian took in deep breaths, which was hard with all the smoke rushing out the window. The smoke did little to help the breaths be calming. He straightened from his hunched position, then turned and marched into the dining room. Once he entered, he glared at all of them. Yet again, none met his gaze. Though, they fidgeted, much to his pleasure.

"Carl! Jack! Stan! How many fucking times do I need to tell you three to keep YOUR asses AWAY from the stove unless, UN-FUCKING-LESS! I am there to monitor?!?!?! And you two!" He growled, pointing at Rankin and Diarmad, "How DARE you stall me so they could 'cook'!" He shouted, sneering the word cook. "As for the rest of you, HOW DARE NONE OF YOU STOP THEM OR TELL ME!!!!" He knew his face was red from anger as he could feel the heat. Not that he gave a fuck at the moment.

They all made sure not to meet his gaze, knowing that if they did, he would have a lecture specifically for you. The whole thing would be over much more quickly this way. Ian cursed, screamed and yelled at them for another five minutes before he finally ended it with the punishment. "You three have cleaning duty for the rest of the month!" He snapped before he sits down. The rest listen to these lectures and mostly punishments because he was OCD and the best freaking cook, as well as cleaner. Soon, they were all eating their burnt food.

"You know, I think we're getting better!" Stan stated enthusiastically, causing slight murmurs of agreement. They hadn't actually burned down the kitchen like before and the food was slightly....edible.

Michael stood and stretched before heading out while saying, "Well, I think it's time for me to get going..."

Nick grasped his wrist before he got too far, causing him to give him a puzzled look. The rest all looked at him, noticing the slightly strained look he had for the first time today. He stared at Mike for a moment, then looked at each of the rest. He then spoke, "Everyone needs to be careful today." He told them straightforwardly.

This caused them all to tense before Diarmad demands, "What's going on Nick?"

Nicolas looked at them all again, as if he was trying to fit together a hard puzzle. He shook his head, then answered "To be honest, I don't know. I just know that something big is about to happen....... soon." this made them all share a look.

Then, Ian asked, "Is this one of your feelings?" Nick simply nodded his head, making them groan. They all knew that his 'feelings' were always right.

Ethan stared at him before asking, "Well, how 'big' is big? Are we talking about big like we need to get a few extra guys to help move furniture? Or big like an atomic bomb and a nuke decided to do a spiral tango and land on our house?" They all looked at him for a moment with wry amusement, then they looked back at Nick. Whom was deep in thought.

"The course of our lives is about to be shaken and changed forever. How does that rank on you scale?" He asked, being so dead serious at the beginning that it made them shiver, then he sarcastically smirked at the end. He hated being questioned so much about his 'feelings'.

Ethan was slouching in his chair now, looking at him with wide eyes before he squeaked, "Pretty damn high!"~

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Kaitlyn sighed as she grabbed a cart, not bothering to look around. She smiled and greeted the little old lady that greeted people at this supermarket. Her auburn hair swung around her shoulders as she headed to the first item on the list. As always, it was milk. Her daughter started talking, as usual as the girl was a rambler.

"Mommy, I wanna be like you when I grow up!" Little Aurora stated, making Kaitlyn smile wryly.

She thought to herself then, "Really, so you want to be a single mother whose' only love and baby daddy took off on? Of course, that was after he had promised her the world. But alas, when you turned three, he and all his little buddies just disappeared, leaving us behind. Yeah, not what I want for you sweetheart! YOUR man WILL ALWAYS be there for you, or Imma chop HIS lil buddy off!" Of course, instead of telling the little six year old that, she smiled and replied with, "I don't know if I'm such a good role model sweetie."

Aurora just stopped and stared at her mother. Kaitlyn was always unnerved when her daughter did this, for the child was too perceptive. It was like she was staring straight into and through you. Her honey blond curls came from her father, as well as her sky blue eyes. The shape of those eyes and everything else was straight from her mother. Before Kaitlyn could say anything else, Aurora spoke. "Hmm, nope! I wanna be like you Mommy! You even beat up that one guy that tried to take your purse!" Her daughter squealed praisingly, causing Kaitlyn to blush.

In truth, when that burglar had tried to take all the money she had from working as a nurse, she knew she had to fight like hell. She was terrified, and might not have done so much if he hadn't threatened Aurora. That was when she became determined to beat him! Heels helped her case a lot though, a sharp kick to the back of the knee and all. Security had shown up and taken him, she knew she'd have to file charges later on even though she gave her statement to the cops already.

Aurora's next comment pulled her out of her musings sharply. "Besides Mommy, I would rather be like you than Dad. He just left us, and that's not right. Not at all." the child states simply as she continued to skip beside her. Kaitlyn looked at her daughter, knowing that the girl was far too advance for her age. "Also, Mrs. Thomas said that I don't have the right parts to 'knock someone up' so it wouldn't be the same anyway." Aurora continued saying, making Kaitlyn throw her head back and laugh.

She truly loved her daughter and wouldn't ever be able to just let her go! She smiled at her before she spoke. "Is that so? Well, good thing you can't. Having a son instead wouldn't have been the same!" Kaitlyn told her, then gave her head a kiss before continuing down the cereal aisle, another thing that was always needed. Reaching for a box of fruity pebbles, she suddenly felt her hair stand on end and a shiver wracked her body. Foreboding came over her like a heavy quilt. She shrugged her shoulders as another shiver wracked her slight frame, before grabbing the box and quickly moving on.

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Aurora peeked at the weird mark that her mother had on her neck. It didn't seem like anyone else noticed it, so she didn't bring attention to it. It was just, a strange mark. It was white and kind of looked like the infinity symbol. When her mother said they needed to go shopping, as well as put money into their savings, she wanted to scream, "NO!" because of the feeling in her tummy.

"Mommy, can we have the ravioli tonight?" Aurora implored as she looked at her mother from her seat in the car.

Kaitlyn smiled with a sigh before playfully rolling her eyes and kissing Aurora's forehead. "Sure darling, now let me buckle you up!" She replied, then tickles Aurora as she buckled the belt. Then she looked at her straight in the eyes, and pointed her finger sternly. "Stay right here while I put the bags in. I mean it, no moving!" Kaitlyn ordered her, getting a giggle and nod from Aurora.

"I won't move Mommy, I promise!" they did a quick pinky swear, then Kaitlyn hurriedly puts away the bags. She felt a prickling the whole time, making her rush more. She knew that she was just being paranoid, but longs to get her and Aurora back home ASAP!

The second she closed her door, rain starts pelting down. Kaitlyn sat there for a minute staring at it. Bad feelings and rain? This suddenly felt like a scene from a movie. She sighed and turned the key, then started to drive off. Aurora had been watching her mother and the rain. Her mother didn't notice the shadows that started to creep around. No one ever seemed to notice them. Aurora used to tell people about it, but after no one could figure out why she saw them, or what it even was that she saw, she quit. The doctor visits weren't helping and it strained her mother. Most just thought she was seeking attention. The shadows never scared her, just made her notice things.

Like the man standing a bit off in this almost deserted parking lot. He just stood there, in the rain that was making it hard to see. Blond hair dangled around his ears, somber blue eyes watched them. He placed his hands in the pockets of his pants, a loose white shirt clung to him. As they drive past, she knew her mother didn't see him. But, she also knew that he still was watching them. His body even turned in order to keep them in sight as they drive. Aurora stared back at him until they turned the corner, out of sight.

"Honey, are you ok back there?" Kaitlyn asked while glancing in the rear view mirror at her unusually quiet daughter.

Aurora met her gaze, seeing the shadows crawl and swirl around her mother, and nodded. "Yes Mommy, I'm just getting sleepy."

Kaitlyn flashed her a blinding smile then. "Awww, I know. But, we'll be home soon and we can take care of that, ok?"

Aurora smiled and nodded at her mother, but was still thinking on the man she saw. Shadows often came with certain people that no one else noticed. Sometimes the people were angry, or scared. That man seemed sad though. His eyes flashed in her mind yet again. She thought to herself, "Yes, very sad....and familiar." The fact that the rain didn't seem to touch him was also a curiosity to her.

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Kaitlyn and Aurora were both singing along to the radio now as Kaitlyn drove. She came to a crossroads and figured to take the quicker route, which wasn't the one she usually used as it included some back streets. She just knew that they were both tired and the ice-cream was probably melting. While making this decision, she didn't notice that her daughter had became quiet. Nor did she notice anything when she looked around before turning, making sure that the road was clear. She drove on, only focused on getting them home.